UT regent: Lawmakers got special favors

UT regent Wallace Hall's letter went to the co-chairs of the House Select Committee on Transparency.

AUSTIN — Embattled University of Texas regent Wallace Hall, facing possible impeachment by a Texas House committee, turned the tables on his inquisitors Thursday with a letter accusing lawmakers of seeking — and getting — special consideration for admissions in at least two instances to the University of Texas.

In a nine-page letter from his attorney to House Select Committee on Transparency co-chairs Dan Flynn, R-Van, and Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, he also claims UT-Austin President William C. Powers inflated donations, permitted secret compensation packages for favored law school professors and did not respond fully and speedily to requests for information.

His attorney, Stephen Ryan, requested that the Select Committee allow Hall to subpoena witnesses, including lawmakers, and interrogate all witnesses called by the committee.

Throughout the letter, Hall was unapologetic for behavior that some members of the Legislature have described as a “witch hunt” to find an excuse to fire Powers. The impeachment proceedings were prompted by Hall's repeated requests for information, as well as his failure to disclose lawsuits on his application for regent.

“Regent Hall looks forward to the opportunity to tell this Committee exactly what he was looking for, what he found, and what he believes are the next steps on such topics as have animated the members of the Legislature,” his attorney wrote. “He will stop only when the University of Texas System fully shares this Committee's expressed commitment to transparency to all Texans.”

Hall's letter officially puts lawmakers on notice that he believes Powers has permitted the UT admissions process to be tainted by politics.

“He found, unfortunately, that allegations of political influence in the admissions process appear in some instances to be true,” Ryan wrote. “Regent Hall found correspondence on behalf of a Representative inquiring about the admission of the Member's adult son or daughter to a UT Austin graduate school. Although the dean had previously stated the applicant did not meet the school's standards and would need to either retake the graduate admission exam or attend another graduate school first ... the son or daughter was in fact admitted without retaking the test or attending another school.”

In another instance, the letter states that Hall found correspondence in which a senator sought special consideration for an applicant who had been rejected. “In the communication, the Senator seeking special treatment reminded the UT Austin official of recent legislative action taken to benefit The University.” That student also was admitted, the letter states.

UT-Austin spokesman Gary Susswein said university officials would be “happy to talk to the committee about the requests (concerning admissions) we get from lawmakers and other state officials, including regents.”

Flynn could not be reached for comment and Alvarado declined to comment.

“It sounds like he's playing political high-stakes jeopardy,” Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, said. “He's known what he wanted to do all along, which is to fire Powers, and he has been looking for a reason to.”

Hall also attached a confidential letter sent by several female law school professors to UT Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa requesting an investigation into secret, preferential treatment bestowed on mostly male faculty members through the UT Law School Foundation.

The letter, apparently sent in March 2011, maintains that “off book” salaries were being awarded by then-dean Larry Sager “out of scrutiny of any review committee or the president's office.”

Hall's letter states that his “review of UT-Austin documents led him to believe ... that University officials and President Bill Powers knew” Sager was receiving “off books” compensation” in the form of a “forgivable loan.”

Sager resigned at Powers' request in 2011 when his $500,000 “forgivable loan” became public knowledge.

Hall's letter also claims he “uncovered” evidence UT-Austin was inflating its fundraising totals, including a “phantom donation exceeding $100 million.” He said the university was improperly counting software donations.

Houston attorney Harry Reasoner, who represented UT-Austin in discussions with the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, said the council OK'd the donations as part of UT-Austin's philanthropic totals, but Cigarroa — at Hall's insistence — instructed UT-Austin to exclude nonmonetary gifts.

UT-Austin has warred with Hall over voluminous requests for information on the grounds that some confidential student information could be compromised. Hall's attorney said the requests were necessary to meet his responsibilities as a regent.